Garbage Trucks Set on Fire in Hearne

Just after 5 this morning, Jesse Contreras, Operations manager for Eagle Disposal in Hearne received a phone call that his garbage trucks were on fire.

"We got on scene and four of our trucks were on fire. The fire department were on site to extinguish it...its a total loss on all four trucks." says Contreras.

This family-owned business has been in operation since December and serves more than 8,000 homes in the Hearne and Bremond areas. But their means of transportation was halted after it took just under an hour to put out the fire.

"I pulled up on scene and the gates were locked up front. We had to open gates with a wrench. We opened the gate and got down to the main gate here. They were also locked and we had to use the fire unit to get into where the vehicles were burning." says Sergeant Thomas Williams with Hearne Police Department.

Hearne police believe it was started by the diesel fuel from the trucks because they found the tops of the gas tanks off. The fire marshal will not be able to fully investigate the incident till Monday morning.

Police have collected the gas tops, a log book and a towel hoping to find some clues as to who could have done this.

"We're hoping to find prints on those tops and maybe on towels. You never know what you may get and that's what we're hoping for." says Williams.

Contreras says he has an idea on a possible suspect but right now, police have no evidence leading them to the arsonist.

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